Sewer flushing and cleaning device



HTTORNEY.

:wmvroza. EUGENE 1'! BROWN- BY WM E. M. BROWN SEWER FLUSHING AND CLEANING DEVICE Filed Aug. 14, 1946 2 May 23, 1950 Patented May 23, 1950 123598559 SEWER *FLUSH'I'NG :"AND UISEANING nEvIcE .--Eugene M. ma, cienaalepcaur.

Application August-1'4, I946, *Srrial No.-69i0,525

My invention relates to a --sewer *fiusher and cleaner, and has for its principal object, to'provide'a simple, practical and highly eiiicient device which may the conveniently and economically used for the removal of sand, gravel, mud 7 or other obstructing ma terial 'whic'h frequently accumulates in sewers and the like, so as to restrict and in some instances, :ctompletely clog the flow of water through the sewer.

=31 iCl-ztim. 1C1. 15-4194206) .Flurther objects of my inventiomare, to ,provide .a .sewer cleaner thatis readily collapsibleinlor- .der that it maybe placedin the sewer Lin-collapsed conditiomthen opened and Jforcib'ly driven forward by water discharging under pressure into the sewer, to the rear of the cleaner and then collapsed by manually operable means, so as to be readily withdrawn from the sewer, or from the obstruction in the event that the cleaner has become stuck therein.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a sewer cleaner of the character referred to having an umbrella like body including an elongated conical flexible member provided in its forward end with one or more jet openings which discharge jets of water against and into the body of showing the cleaner in collapsed condition.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view partly in section and showing the connection between the ribs or stays and central rod of the cleaner.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the manner of connecting the canvas mem-- her to the rod.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the cleaner in expanded condition.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I 0 designates a rod of wood or light weight metal, in the forward end por- 68 .2 tion of wlii'chi are formeda plurality, preierably =si-x,'--shm t' slots-orirecesses H.

.FEncircling trod H1 andoverlying the "slots H, is' a ring l2, preferably of "wire which passes through the' coiled poi tions T3 forward at *the 'l orwar'd 611115 OT' StayS Or I iUS T4 "of wire, s'imilar in structure and *function tothe ribs or anumbr'ella. Coil'eii portions t'iiitunc'tion =a's "torsional springs tending to normally expand stays l4.

From the frorward end ot-rod l-O, 'ribs l-'4 ex- .tend rearwardly fever" n-elongated conical member f-5 5f" fieiiible materialfsuch as canvas, "the small forward end erwmehas 'suitablysecured'by a #coiled :wire or "band 16 to 'rod Hi, just behind slots l l and ring l2.

Formed through the small forward end of member I 5 is a series of apertures I1, which serve to direct jets of water forwardly from the cleaner while same is in use.

The ends of stays I4 to the rear of the coiled portions l3, may rest directly on rod In to the rear of recesses H, as shown in Fig. 5, or upon the forward end of member I 5, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The rear ends of stays l4 terminate in loops l8, which are secured by stitching or staples to the rear end portion of member l5.

The forward ends of cords or cables l9 are secured to loops I8 and extend therefrom rearwardly to and through longitudinally disposed grooves 20 formed in the rear portion of rod l0 and retained in said grooves by an encircling band or wire ring 2|. The structure just described provides definite segregated lines of travel for the cords l9 relative to rod l0 and effectively prevents the cords from kinking and fouling with each other during the opening and closing movements of collapsible member l5 and while said cords are under strains and stresses of the heavy semidiquid pipe clogging material being removed.

The looped rear ends 22 of cables I9 pass through an eye 23 formed at the end of a cable 24 that is used for collapsing and/or pulling the cleaner rearwardly through and from the sewer.

In cleaning the pipe or conduit, for instance, a sewer section between man holes, a suitable plug P is seated in the end of the sewer pipe S, where it connects to the wall M of the manhole, said plug being provided with an aperture A for the accommodation of the cable 24 and a duct D leads from a suitable source of water under pressure, to and through said plug.

Before the plug is positioned in the end of the sewer pipe S, member IS in collapsed condition is placed in the sewer pipe, and after said plug 3 is seated in the end of said pipe, water is permitted to flow from duct D into the sewer pipe, with the result that member I5, under the force of the water and torsional action of springs [3 on stays opens or expands to the position as shown in 5 Figs. 1 and '7, and moves through the pipe until the body of sand or other material that clogs the pipe is encountered.

Jets of water under pressure issue from apertures ll, thereby softening'and disintegrating 101 'forward end of which conical member is conthe sewer clogging body and the driving force of the water behind the cleaner, forces same forwardly through the pipe, thereby quickly and'=' effectively removing the body of clogging ma- -e, teriai.

Should the cleaner fail to pass through the obgrooves, cords secured to the rear ends of said struction in the sewer, cable 24 may be pulled rearwardly from a point within the manhole,'

thereby first collapsing said cleaner, then drawing same away from the obstruction and the pull to quickly disintegrate and remove said body. 26

After the obstruction has been removed from the sewer, the cleaner may, by pulling on cable 24, be readily collapsed and drawn from the sewer.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a 30 clogged sewer cleaner that is simple in structure, inexpensive of manufacture and very efiective in performin the functions for which it is intended.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts 4 of my improved sewer may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a sewer flushing and cleaning device, a rod, a series of stays connected to the forward end of said rod, an elongated conical member of flexible material arranged within said stays, the

nected to said rod and provided with a series of jet apertures, the rear end oi said flexible mem- .ber being-connected to the rear ends of said stays,

the rear end portion of said rod being provided with a series of spaced longitudinally disposed stays and extending into said grooves and thence rearwardly from the rear end of said rod and a ring surrounding the rear portion of said rod for retaining said cords for movement in said grooves.

- EUGENE M. BROWN.

REFERENCES Y CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

